- May 2, 2024
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Parents of Pathways Elementary students heard changes to the state's Common Core standards last night.
BY EMILY BLACKWOOD | STAFF WRITER
Parents rolled their eyes and buried their heads in their hands as they listened to Pathways Elementary School Principal Joseph Ronca and Deputy Superintendent Bambi Lockman give a presentation on the state's new Common Core standards Tuesday night, Jan. 22.
Ronca told the parents that the new Common Core standards would provide more clarity, consistency and collaboration with schools across the states, adding that the changes will help focus the standards more on skill then memorization.
“The last couple years, we have been working with our teachers,” Ronca said, “and taking them through professional development to help them make the transition to move away from recall and knowledge to higher-order thinking and understanding. Are we there yet? No, we are not.“
Parents voiced concerns about how this transition period would affect their child’s education.
“I just feel like, in the name of dollars and cents, we are forgetting about our children as individuals,” mother Christine Becker said. “Once we start to streamline Common Core, teachers will have no choice but to forget about those that can’t get on track. What happens to the children who can’t keep up with the Common Core standards, or the children who are above the Common Core standards?”
Ronca said that standards changes are nothing new.
“We’ve always had standards,” Ronca said. “We are the messengers tonight. We are sharing information with you. We are not the policy-makers. Common Core standards are here and, until something happens up there in Tallahassee with the powers that be, they are here to stay. “
In an interview with the Ormond Beach Observer, Volusia County School Board member Linda Costello said the standards were not perfect and could always be improved.
“Keep the good, get rid of the bad,” Costello said. “My concern is that these standards are not the end-all to success, they are the minimum requirement. It's what they are expected to know to pass to the next grade. . We need to guard against using any standards to standardize students. Every student is different.“
